1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to scent diffusing devices, and more particularly to a personal electronic scent diffusing system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known to use deodorizers, air fresheners and the like, to provide a desired scent or aroma in a home environment. In fact, many people place air fresheners in a room to cover up odors in the room or just to add a fragrant scent to the air. Many air fresheners are commercially available. However, most of these provide for only a single scent having a fixed strength.
Some air fresheners which allow a user to selectively alter the scent delivered by a device have been described. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,692 to Kennedy and U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,327 to Palamand disclose air freshening units including a container which carries a cartridge having a plurality of segments, or sections, each having a solid material impregnated with a scented substance. In each case, the cartridge can be manually rotated to position a particular segment having a desired scent into alignment with an opening in the container to emit the desired scent.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,103,609 to Bradburn discloses an air freshener having a body which carries a plurality of open topped vials of scented substances. A cover is rotatably mounted on the body to seal and close the vials. The cover has an opening which can be selectively brought into alignment with any one of the vials to open the vial, to allow the substance within the vial to evaporate and freshen the air.
The aforementioned air fresheners share a number of disadvantages and limitations. First, each of the disclosed air fresheners must be manually manipulated to alter the scent. Second, none of the disclosed air fresheners provide a means for controlling the strength or duration of the scent. Third, the disclosed air fresheners are provided in containers which would be unsightly positioned in a high-end home entertainment unit.
Electronic aroma generating devices and systems have been described which provide for more controlled scent emission. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,409 to Watkins discloses an apparatus for introducing precisely controlled amounts of aromatic chemicals, using metered spray technology, into the immediate vicinity of the operator. The disclosed mechanism is particularly oriented toward use by an individual sitting at a desk using a microcomputer. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,256 to Lee et al. discloses a computer controlled odor mixing and dispensing system suitable for use in conjunction with a multimedia computer application. Neither of these systems are designed for, nor suitable for, providing an aroma to a larger area such as one or more rooms of a home.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,030 to McCarthy, U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,320 to Wittek, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,290 to De Sousa each describe scent emitting systems designed to provide a variety of different scents to intensify sensorial perception of an audience in attendance of a visual and/or acoustical representation, by introducing scents in synchronism with the visual and/or acoustic representation. However, the aforementioned systems are complex, expensive and adapted for emitting scents over a large area such as a movie theater.
Accordingly, there is an existing need for an electronic scent emitting system particularly suited for use in a home environment which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages and limitations of the prior art systems.